252 Groups June 2012, Week 1
Small Group, K-1
The Chosen
Bible Story: The Chosen (the calling of the disciples) • Luke 5:1-11
Bottom Line: I can depend on God because He has a plan for me.
Memory Verse: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38, NIV
Virtue: Trust—putting your confidence in someone you can depend on.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
GET READY
Prepare ahead of time for kindergarten–1st grade Small Groups this week:
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Choose one or both of these activities.)
Early Arriver
· An offering container
· Ping-Pong® balls (one per child)
· Permanent markers
· Paper sack
Catch On: Make the Connection (Choose as many of these activities as you like.)
According to Plan (application activity / great for boys)
· Lincoln Logs®, Legos®, K’Nex®, or other construction toys; provide enough for the kids to work in groups of two or three
· Diagrams with instructions for building with the chosen toy(s). (These are usually included in the package; you can also find some diagrams online.)
Prayer
· A recipe card
· A diagram from the “According to Plan” activity
· A blueprint for a house or other structure
Note: If you don’t have a “true” blueprint, you can search online and print an image of one.
· A Bible
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between TRUST and God’s character,
as shown through God’s big story
When was the last time you really thought about this?
The God who created the oceans, the stars, and the planets calls us His children. Then, because we sinned and were separated from Him, that same God—the Creator of all things—stepped onto our planet and lived among us as one of us. He taught us how to live. And then as an act of indescribable love, He died for us. And in a moment of unimaginable triumph, He defeated death, rose again, and ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us for eternity.
1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” And wow, how He loves us. It makes sense that we love God back. Who wouldn’t love this God who created us and said we were good, who came to redeem us when we had lost our way? But here’s the tricky part. If you love God, you will trust God because trust and love go together.
That’s why, when you first encountered His love, you made an initial step to trust Him with your life. But that’s not the end. As believers, we have to put our trust in God again every day. Every moment of our lives we have choices, and in those moments we can choose to put our confidence in God or to put our confidence somewhere else.
This month we are going to take a look at what it means to trust God—both for the very first time and each day in the face of new circumstances.
This month, let’s think about how:
(1) God loves us and has proven that He is trustworthy.
(2) God invites us to show our trust in Him every day.
(3) Our trust in God changes the way we live, and is a testimony to others.
Remember: A virtue is something God does in us to change the world around us.
This week, we’re discovering:
Our Bible story is the calling of the disciples (Luke 5:1-11). This starts an EPIC adventure in trust and love as these guys go everywhere with Jesus and become His closest friends. We’ll explore why they were chosen and think about what God might be calling each of us to today.
Our Bottom Line is: I can depend on God because He has a plan for me. Sometimes when we read the Bible it’s easy to think, “That’s a great story, but that was then and this is now. Those types of things don’t happen anymore.” But we’re going to see what in this story is true for each of us now, right where we are and in the future if we really believe this Basic Truth: that I can trust God no matter what.
Even if we don’t yet know God’s specific plan for our lives, we can know that God wants us to become more like Jesus. That’s why He sent Him as a living example to walk here on earth. One of the biggest things we’re told to do to show our trust is found in our month’s Memory Verse: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38
The Chosen
Bible Story: The Chosen (the calling of the disciples) • Luke 5:1-11
Bottom Line: I can depend on God because He has a plan for me.
Memory Verse: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38, NIV
Virtue: Trust—putting your confidence in someone you can depend on.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)
Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question and an interactive opening activity.
Before students arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your class for the first time. Pray that God would help the kids understand that He has a plan for them. Pray that they would want to be part of the big story God is telling and that they would become more like Jesus as He works in them to change the world around them.
1. Early Arriver Idea
What You Need: an offering container, Ping-Pong balls, permanent markers, paper sack
What You Do:
Invite the kids to place their offerings in the container, and then ask them to use the permanent markers to draw “fishy” features on the Ping-Pong balls to transform them into “fish.” Be sure the kids make enough fish so that there will be one for each child in your group. Place the fish in a bag (you’ll need them in Large Group!).
What You Say:
[Transition] In our Bible story today, we’ll hear about a time when a group a fishermen caught SO many fish that their boats almost sank. Let’s go to Large Group to find out more.”
Gather the Ping-Pong-ball fish and lead your group to the Large Group area.
Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)
Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive activities and discussion questions.
1. According to Plan (review the Bible story / great for boys)
What you Need: Lincoln Logs, Legos, K’Nex or other construction toys; diagrams with instructions for building with the chosen toy(s)
What You Do:
Guide the kids to work in groups of two or three to build structures according to the diagrams you provided. Provide help as needed. As they work, talk about the Bible story they just heard. Ask questions about where Jesus was teaching from (a boat), who was involved in the story (Simon Peter), how many fish they were able to catch that night (none), and how many they were able to catch once Jesus performed his miracle (more than they could get into the boat).
What You Say:
“Just like there was a plan that helped you make these great [forts/airplanes/cars], [Apply] God has a plan for you. He knows who your family is, where you live, who your friends are, what you like to do, what you don’t like to do, what you’re good at, what you’re not so good at—everything about you! We can trust that God’s plan is the best plan for us because He loves us. And because God loves us, we can depend on Him. We can trust Him! [Impress] I can depend on God because He has a plan for me.”
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: a recipe card; a diagram from the “According to Plan” activity; a blueprint; Bible
What You Do:
Show the kids the recipe, diagram, and, if available, the blueprint. Briefly explain how each item is a plan that helps people make certain things. Next, hold up the Bible. [Apply] Emphasize that the Bible is like God’s plan for our lives. It tells us how much God loves us, and it tells us how God wants us to live. As you talk, emphasize today’s Bottom Line: [Impress] I can depend on God because He has a plan for me.
Pray aloud, thanking God that He has a plan for us.
What You Say:
“Dear God, thank You that we can trust You no matter what. Thank You that You have a plan for our lives. Please help us trust Your plan and love You with all our hearts, will all our souls, and with all our minds. Thank You for loving us! Thank You, Lord, that because You love us SO much we KNOW we can ALWAYS depend on You. We love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name we ask these things, amen.”
Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent Cue cards as adults arrive to pick up their child(ren).
1
©2012 Orange. All rights reserved. • www.WhatIsOrange.org
Adapted by New Life Fellowship, June 2012